This document discusses propagation methods in horticulture, including sexual propagation through seeds and asexual propagation through cuttings, layering, grafting, specialized structures, and tissue culture. It also summarizes the prospects of horticulture in Pakistan, noting that Pakistan is a major producer of fruits and vegetables but most production is consumed domestically. It identifies issues like post-harvest losses, lack of processing, non-compliance with international standards, and low yields that are holding back Pakistan's horticulture industry from reaching its full export potential. Addressing these challenges through improved technologies, infrastructure, regulations and international cooperation could help boost horticulture exports.

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Propagation Methods & Prospectus of
Horticulture in Pakistan
Submitted to:
Dr. Ehsan Akram
Submitted by:
Habiba ur Rehman
Roll#:
BAGF14E25O
Section:
3rd
C
University College of Agriculture
University of Sargodha

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Plant propagation methods in Horticulture
Plant Propagation:
“
The art and science of multiplying plants by sexual or asexual
means”
 Sexual methods - seed propagation
 Asexual methods
– rooting cuttings
– layering; air layering
– grafting
– specialized structures
– tissue culture; micro propagation
Purposes for Plant Propagation:
 Multiply the number of a species
 Perpetuate a species
 Maintain the youthfulness of a plant
Types of Propagation:
1) Sexual(seed)
 Involves floral parts of the plant
 Union of pollen and egg
2) Asexual(vegetative)
 Regenerate part of a parent plant into a new plant
 Genetically identical to its one parent
 Involves stems, roots, or leaves

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Advantages of Sexual
 Produce large number of seedlings from a single parent plant
 May store seeds for future propagation
 Breed for new varieties and hybrid vigor
 Avoid transmission of certain diseases
Disadvantages of Sexual
 Genetic material may not be uniform
 Cannot save seeds from hybrids
 Long time to sizable plant
 Irritants in fleshy covering (palms, etc.)
Advantages of Vegetative (asexual)
 Larger, fuller plant produced faster
 Genetically, same as the parent
 Only way to propagate some species
 Bypasses juvenile characteristics
Disadvantages of Vegetative (asexual)
 Time spent collecting and preparing vegetative material
 May need structures and water
 Required skilled labor.
 Sexual Propagation
Propagation by seeds:
 Seeds are widely available, inexpensive, and easy to handle.
“Propagation by seeds is the major method by which plants
reproduce in nature and one of the most efficient and widely used
propagation methods for cultivated crops.”

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 Hybrid seeds are more expensive, but may have productionbenefits
that offsetthe cost.
 Large scale agriculture (including vegetable crop production) is
dependentupon seed propagation.
 Seeds (especially seeds ofwoody plants) may have complex
dormancies that impede germination.
 Asexual Propagation:
Propagation by Cuttings:
Cutting capable of regenerating roots (or shoots) from
adventitious meristem
Classified according to part of plant obtained
– Stem cuttings

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 Hardwood
 Semi-hardwood
 Softwood
herbaceous
– Leaf cuttings
– Leaf-bud cuttings
– Root cuttings
Propagation by layering:
“Layering involves inducing roots on an intact (or nearly so) plant.”
Air layering - interrupts cambium and cover wound with moistened
medium. Ficus elastica, Magnolia

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Simple layering - low hanging branch covered with soil (with or
without wounding) - many shrubs

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Tip layering - tips of plants (brambles) at certain times of year (rat-
tail condition) develop roots where they touch the soil
Blackberries,raspberries
Moundlayering- soil mounded to coverbase of specially pruned
young tree (also referred to as stool layering) Apple rootstocks

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Propagation by Grafting and budding:
“The vascular cambium can regenerate the vascular connections
between the scion and rootstock resulting in a complete plant
composed of more than one genotype.”
 Can graft scion cultivar onto size controlling rootstock.
 Many difficultto root plants are graft compatible.
 Grafting defined by seasonand type of tissue.
 budding (T-budding,inverted T, patch)
 wedge,veneer, whip and tongue, cleft, etc.
 Scion cultivar may be changed on mature trees (top working)
 Joining of two separate plant structures
 Used on difficultto root plants
 Make use of particular rootstockcharacteristics

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Propagation by specialized structures:
Modified Stems:
 bulb, corm, tuber, rhizome, pseudo bulb, runner
Modified Roots:
 tuberous root

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Propagation by Micropropagation:
“Micropropagation has many synonyms - tissue culture, mass
propagation, in vitro culture, cloning.”
 Micropropagationis rapid, continuous, and efficient.

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 Specialized equipment,facilities, and technically trained personnel
are required.
 Steps can be taken to obtain and maintain certified pest-free plants.
 Cost effective if large numbers of a given clone are produced.
 Widelyused for orchids,ferns, many interior foliage plants,
rootstocks,etc.

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Prospectus of horticulture industry in Pakistan
 Horticultural production creates employment opportunities for rural poor,
notably women, and has significant impact on poverty reduction. Also studies
show that households that participate in horticultural production, in both rural and
urban areas, earn higher incomes than households that do not engage
themselves in such activities.
 Pakistan is a major producer of fruits and vegetables. More than 28 types of
fruits and 30 types of vegetables are produced in the country throughout the
year. However, most of the production is consumed in domestic markets.
Production of peach, persimmon, pomegranate reflect strong domestic market
demands for horticulture crops. Citrus fruits, primarily the mandarin variety Kino,
are the largest fruit crop group by
 Volume and is a major export revenue earner. Pakistan is the fourth largest
producer of dates. In FY2006, 1.754 million tons of mangoes were produced. But
this production reduced to 1.699 million tons in FY2012. However, the overall
area devoted to fruits and vegetable production has increased rapidly in recent
years reaching 1060.8 million hectares.
 Vegetables produced in different zones by using different technologies during
different production seasons are traded across different regional markets of
Pakistan in order to meet consumer demand across the country. Eighty percent
of vegetable production in Pakistan is marketable surplus while it is reported that
the surplus is 86% of production of which 25% to 35% is wasted due to post-
harvest losses caused due to different factors like harvesting at inappropriate
time, improper packing and packaging and infrastructure for storage and
transportation.
 The world horticulture market is valued at $ 80 billion to which Pakistan
contributes only a meager amount – $ 130 million annually. The reasons for this
are quite obvious. In Pakistan, only about 16% of fruits are being processed. The

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potential markets for Pakistani exporters have been identified in Europe and the
Middle East. However, the fruits and vegetables exported in fresh form attracted
discount prices due to the exporters’ inability to provide adequate grading and
packing.
 Yield of fruit. This is because the country has not yet been able to achieve
quality standards and market potential. There are issues relating to compliance,
certification according to international standards, traceability, farm management,
perish- ability, cool chain, storage and wholesale markets and marketing etc.
 The general situation of the fruit export is not very satisfactory as for every
fruit there is a glut season, when it is sold cheap and rejected without processing.
During the glut on an average 40% fruit is wasted in the process from harvesting
to final consumption.
 The perishable nature of horticultural products and the high sanitary and
phytosanitary standards require technical know-how and quality control. The
horticulture industry is characterized by rapid structural change, requiring
upgrading by producing countries. Increasingly, the distribution is dominated by
large supermarket chains with exacting quality standards.
 According to Dr. Ali Abbas Qazilbash, officer-incharge of Trade Related
Technical Assistance (TRTA-II) being implemented by UNIDO Pakistan, the
country needs SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) food safety
legislation to ensure compliance of horticulture products for better access to
global markets. In 2010 alone, 27 export consignments from Pakistan were
rejected by the EU countries while the rejection of export Consignments by the
USA during the same period was to the tune of 175. One of the reasons for
rejection of imports from Pakistan, by the EU, USA and Australia, was pesticides
residues in the fruits and vegetables.
 Techniques for producing good quality fruits. Pakistani growers should learn
from their Turkish counterparts. Presently Pakistan has a 8,000 kilogram per acre
of land as against world standards of 16,000 to 20,000 kg per acre.
 Establishment of National Food Safety Animal and Plant Health Regulatory
Authority (NFSAPHRA) at federal level through the enactment of the proposed
‘NAPHIS/Food Safety Bill’ has assumed paramount importance to ensure the
provision of safe food for all and that Pakistani horticulture Products comply with
SPS measures.
 Pesticide application and application techniques are important in
development of standards/technical regulation and should be included in
pesticide law as a part of the technical regulations for the NFSAPHRA. In this
respect a comprehensive countrywide survey would be launched to accurately

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assess per acre yield of all kinds of fruits and vegetables, logistic issues and
techniques on how to improve the standard of fruits produced in the country so
as to enhance the acceptability in the international market. With the help of
foreign experts, research and development plans would also be chalked out for
promotion of horticulture sector in the country and to improve existing standard of
fruits by developing new varieties.
 Local chain market would be expanded in a well-coordinated manner as
plans are already evolved for expanding fruit stores retail chain, which will also
enable farmers to accrue better price of their products. It was also decided to
make vast improvement in the logistic mechanism for prompt transportation of all
fruits.
 Moreover, all surplus fruits in the country can be utilized for preparation of
pulps, syrups and juices which can be preserved for over a year’s duration.
Efforts are also underway to promote regional trade and horticulture sector in
collaboration with neighboring countries, which will go a long way in multiplying
country’s export to substantial level in coming days.
 In NWFP and Northern Areas, there is great scope for promotion of citrus
fruits, peaches, plums, apricot, persimmon, apple, strawberry, guava etc. In
Punjab, citrus, mango, guava while in Sindh mango, banana, dates and papaya
and in Baluchistan apple, grapes, dates, stone fruits (apricot, peach, plum, cherry
etc.) and pistachio can be targeted for international marketing by promoting
processing industry for value addition and export.
 Apart from this, Australia has also shown interest in helping Pakistan to
increase production of grapes in Baluchistan. It is to be noted that a multi-million
dollar Australia-Pakistan agriculture sector linkages program is already focused
on providing Australian knowledge and expertise to key sectors of agribusiness
in Pakistan so as to increase profitability and enhance export potential.
 There is a consensus that linking the development plans for the sector with
the investment and finance is necessary. However, banks’ credit to this sector is
only 4% to 5% of total agricultural credit. One of main reasons for low
disbursement to horticulture sector is lack of awareness of the banks regarding
the sector. Therefore, in order to facilitate the banks, the guidelines for financing
have been developed by SBP in collaboration with banks, MINFAL, PHDEB, horti
business finance sub-committee, farmers’ representatives and other
stakeholders. These guidelines were issued to the banks in Dec. 2007.
 Horticulture crop growers do not make money, not due to middle man
exploiting them; but because the growers do not know the proper technologies
involved in raising fruit crops, proper harvesting and packaging, transport
requirements, marketing and export. Middle man being better informed gets the

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orchard for harvest at a cheap rate, engages some uneducated rural, rustic labor
which is available very cheap., harvests, packs and markets it. He is also
exporter. Middle man’s own knowledge is also limited and the responsibility of
40% loss of fresh fruit of vegetables lies upon him. The government is equally
responsible as it failed to produce well trained horticulturists and extension
workers to help growers in proper harvesting, packaging, transport and
marketing.
 Horticulture in Pakistan has a great potential and scope, both at home and
abroad; what is needed is close coordination and concerted efforts by all
stakeholders including Government, banks and farmers.
 The government is learnt to have decided in principle to declare the
horticulture sector as a recognized industry in Pakistan while all Pakistan Fruit
Importers and Exporters Merchant Association has devised a plan to boost
horticulture exports to the level of $6 to $ 8 billion in the next 10 years as against
the current $ 500 million in consultation with all stakeholders including local and
foreign experts. It is all very well and appreciable. But the development of the
sector and realization of its full potential would, however, depend on the
coordinated, concrete and serious efforts of the relevant departments and
people.